Unit 9: Period 9 (1980–Present)
AP US History: 54 practice questions with detailed explanations.
Unit Study Guide
Executive Summary
Period 9 covers the conservative ascendancy, the Cold War's end, globalization, the digital revolution, and the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Conservative resurgence
Reagan's 1980 election capped decades of conservative organizing (tax revolt, religious right, anticommunism). Supply-side tax cuts, deregulation, and military buildup defined 'Reaganomics'; the 'Reagan Revolution' shifted the political center rightward. The Moral Majority mobilized evangelicals.
The Cold War's end
Reagan's pressure ('evil empire,' SDI) met Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost, perestroika). The Berlin Wall fell in 1989; the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, leaving the US as sole superpower.
Globalization and economics
NAFTA and the WTO integrated trade; manufacturing jobs moved abroad while finance and technology boomed. Income inequality widened. The 2008 financial crisis revealed the system's fragility, answered by bailouts and stimulus.
Technology and society
The internet and personal computing transformed work, culture, and politics. The information revolution created new industries and new divides — the digital divide persists.
21st-century challenges
9/11 launched the War on Terror, Afghanistan and Iraq, and the security state. Climate change, immigration debates, political polarization, and demographic transformation (a majority-minority nation approaching) define the present. Elections grew contested — culminating in contested results and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
Exam traps
Reaganomics' tax cuts increased deficits despite promises. The Cold War ended through Soviet internal collapse plus pressure — not US military victory alone. Globalization created winners and losers — both matter. The digital divide tracks income and geography.